College Park, MD (U-WIRE) -- The Terrapin softball team popped out on bunts five times in three games. Unable to get consistent run product, North Carolina swept the Terps in the weekend series.

Tar Heel pitcher Crystal Cox (19-14) won all three games, striking out 20 in 15 and a third innings. As dominant as Cox was in her appearances, the lack of timely hitting doomed the Terps.

"We just didn't hit the ball," Coach Gina LaMandre said. "We need to get a hit when runners are in scoring position."

In total, the Terps (20-17, 4-8 ACC) left 17 runners on base during the series.

Yesterday, the Terps seized the momentum in the bottom of the fifth before quickly losing grip in the sixth.

Trailing 1-0, senior third baseman Crystal Rizzuto singled to center field. After a sacrifice bunt by junior center fielder Natalie Grossman and a single by shortstop Nneka Cardoza, the Terps had runners on second and third with two outs. Senior left fielder Crystal Tweedy reached base safely on a Tar Heel error and freshman pinch runner Meghan Booth scored the tying run.

The next inning, North Carolina's Jennifer Jacobs hit a two-run home run off sophomore Elyse Lucas (4-4) to put the Tar Heels (35-23, 8-7 ACC) ahead for good.

Saturday's second contest stretched well into yesterday after a storm halted play after six innings. Sophomore second baseman Keri Lounge's 2-run homer in the third inning put the Terps ahead, 2-1, until North Carolina's Anna Evans drove in Cassie Palmer to tie the game in the top of the sixth.

When the game resumed, both teams failed in several chances to take the lead. The Tar Heels left eight runners on base just in yesterday's portion of the game. Yet in the 12th inning, left fielder Cassie Palmer went deep for the Tar Heels to win it, 3-2.

The Tar Heels won game one of the series, 1-0, after Jessica Young's RBI double in the first inning turned out to be the deciding run. Junior Crystal Crews (4-6) got the losses in the first two games of the series, despite allowing only two runs in 13 innings.

Overall, the Terps trailed in 14 innings during the series and were unable to mount a rally that produced runs.

"We need to work on focus coming back," Lounge said.

The Terps left runners in scoring position and couldn't come up with the clutch hit.

With the losses, the Terps drop to sixth place in the ACC.

(C) 2004 The Diamondback via U-WIRE